book review – Page 7 – Zakiya N. Jamal

Book Review: Empire of Storms

Posted on November 29, 2016November 30, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don’t.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

In this breathtaking fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin will have to choose what — and who — to sacrifice if she’s to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart.

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Review

*Warning: This review will contain some spoilers. If you don’t want to be spoiled please don’t read.*

I borrowed Empire of Storms from the library because I’m on a book buying ban and honestly I’m having a hard time returning it. I don’t want to give it back. I want to keep it forever. I want to reread it immediately. I need it on my shelves. It was so good!

Empire of Storms picks up a little after where Queen of Shadows ended. Aelin is finally headed back to Terrasen to reclaim her throne but things don’t go as planned. Lord Darrow, who’s one of the biggest jerks in this novel, basically tells Aelin she can’t be queen and if she tries to take her throne back they (the Lords of Terrasen) will see it as an act of war. So rude. Although Aelin is pissed, and rightfully so, she doesn’t fight and instead gets to work on putting her many plans in motion.

This novel followed a lot of characters so there were a lot of different plot lines going on. The Valg king, Erawan, attacked Rifthold and Rowan had to go rescue Dorian and then they ended up going to Skull’s Bay to pay the Pirate Lord a visit. Manon, who’s such a softie, was dealing with her terrible grandmother and the other witches and ended up making a choice that led to a big revelation, altering her fate. My favorite lady, Elide, was freed from Morath but had to try to find Aelin/Caelena who she didn’t know was the same person. On her way to Terrasen she was hunted by Lorcan, who was still looking for the Wyrdkeys. They ended up partnering up and thus a new ship was born.

Of course all these different storylines ended up coming together and it led to a huge revelation about Aelin’s fate and a devastating ending. Empire of Storms was filled with a lot of action as Aelin & Co. had to fight not only Erawan’s forces but also Maeve’s, the Queen of the Fae. This novel also contained a lot of romance. Basically everyone hooked up with someone in this novel. Seriously, there was a lot of kisses and sex and declarations of love, which also caused for some hilarity since the Fae can tell when someone had sex or desires someone. Speaking of hilarity, Aelin still had the same level of sass we’ve come to know and love but there were also some new characters that were great additions to the sass in this book. Particularly, Fenrys, who’s one of the Fae in Rowan’s “cadre.” He was fantastic.

Overall, I am in love with this book. I already started rereading it even though I know I have to return it soon. I still love Queen of Shadows because it had a much happier ending but Empire of Storms is a great novel. It’s well written, the characters are great, and the twists were perfect. There were twists that dated all the way back to the second book. That’s crazy!

Definitely read this book if you haven’t already. You’ll love it!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Even when this world is a forgotten whisper of dust between the stars, I will love you.”

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Book Review: Decidedly Off Limits

Posted on November 24, 2016November 12, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Borrow

Synopsis:

Best Friend Rule #1: never want the guy’s sister.
Oops.

Trent Salway is one of San Francisco’s hot up-and-coming-under-thirty bachelors. A highly successful mutual fund portfolio manager, a workaholic, and a ladies’ man, he’s got everything he could possibly want…except one thing.

Physical therapist Kelsey Quaid dumped her ex-fiancé six months ago because she was tired of not even being a distant second to his career. Which is why despite secretly crushing on her big brother’s best friend for as long as she can remember, there’s no way Kelsey can go there. One workaholic in her life is more than enough, thank you very much.

Before Kelsey’s brother leaves on his Navy SEAL mission, he asks Trent one simple request: make sure Kelsey isn’t dating any assholes while he’s away. As Trent does his best to do just this, he and Kelsey spend more and more time together. Sparks fly, as do a few items of clothing, and the next thing they know things are getting physical between them. Now, Trent has to decide what to do about the woman he’s falling for—the one whose brother would take him down faster than he takes down the enemy. And Kelsey will have to decide if Trent is just another workaholic or if he’s decidedly off limits.

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Review

I’m typically a fan of the “best friend’s sibling” trope but the writing style of this novel really ruined it for me. Told in alternating POVs between Kelsey and Trent, both of their narrations are written as if they’re having a conversation with you and expecting you to respond. For example, at one point in Kelsey’s narration we get this:

Did you see who was third in line? That’s right. The Viking.

Then later in Trent’s POV we get a similar thing:

Did you recognize the woman who tried to outbid Kelsey? She was Beatrice Peterson, or Reese, as she preferred to go by.

Also, I still I have no idea who Beatrice is and why she’s so terrible, besides the obvious reasons, so no Trent, I did not recognize her. This was literally so frustrating. It was as if the author, Stina Lindenblatt, was attempting to do a breaking down of the fourth wall, like in House of Cards, but with a book and it just didn’t work well here. At least not for me. The thing is I know I’ve read other books that are kind of written like this that I loved but I think Lindenblatt just tried too hard with this, especially because we got it in both POVs so the voices started to sound a little similar.

Additionally, there were just too many points where the narrators kept asking me to “imagine” things or “remember when” something. This seemed to happen at the start of a lot of chapters and in both POVs and it was so irritating. Still, despite how infuriating I found the writing style to be I did push through and finished the novel and it wasn’t totally terrible. The plot itself was fine, in that it was exactly what I expected it to be. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, both think they can’t be together, they hook-up anyway, keep it a secret, there’s some kind of conflict, they go their separate ways, only to realize they’re perfect for each other. One major issue I did have with the plot was the “break-up” scene. It just felt so anticlimatic to me and completely out of nowhere. There was no build up and it was so abrupt that I had to go back and read it over to make sure that was the break-up scene. Seriously, the whole moment only took like two pages.

Still, I did really like Trent and Kelsey as people though. I thought their dialogue was great and their chemistry was good. Even so, overall I wasn’t all that impressed with this novel and I’m glad I only spent 99 cents on it.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“I love everything about you. Your love for your job and the kids you help. Your love of life. Your love of those funny little owls. Your amazing photographs. Your heart. I love it all.”

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Book Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend

Posted on November 22, 2016November 12, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

When Gia Montgomery’s boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she decides to do the unthinkable…convince the cute guy waiting to pick up his sister to pretend to be her boyfriend for the night. The task is simple: two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

The problem is that days after prom, she can’t stop thinking about her fill-in boyfriend. But can Gia turn her fake boyfriend into a real one without exposing her lie and possibly destroying her friendships and her newfound relationship?

Smartly observed and wonderfully romantic, Kasie West’s talent shines in this tale of one girl’s unexpected quest to find love…and possibly herself.

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Review

The Fill-In Boyfriend has been sitting on my shelves for at least a year and after seeing Kasie West’s books all over bookstagram I decided to finally give this book a try. Overall I liked it. It was a cute, short, romantic read that only took me a day to finish. The novel is told in the POV of Gia and the novel literally begins with her being dumped outside of her prom and it wasn’t the prettiest break-up.

From the very start of the novel I could tell what kind of person Gia was. She wasn’t so concerned with her break-up and was more worried about what her friends would think when she walked into prom solo. In other words, Gia is all about appearances, which is why she enlists a total stranger to pretend to be her now ex-boyfriend, Bradley. To be fair, the whole reason Gia feels she has to go to these extreme lengths instead of just telling her friends the truth about her break-up with Bradley is because this new girl, Jules, has infiltrated her friend group and has basically been implying that Bradley wasn’t real. Thus to prove Jules wrong Gia shows up to prom with the “fill-in Bradley,” who I’ll now refer to as FIB.

Gia reminded me a lot of Andie from The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson. They’re both very focused on keeping up appearances, they don’t stick with the same boyfriend for too long, and they like to keep their relationships with other people only on the surface level and never anything deeper than that. For this reason, I couldn’t help but compare the two novels and although I will say I like The Unexpected Everything better I still thought The Fill-In Boyfriend was a great novel and the plots were different enough that I think you can enjoy both without feeling like you’re reading the same book.

While The Fill-In Boyfriend heavily deals with the fact that Gia doesn’t real deal with her feelings it also focuses on her friendships and the tangled web of lies she weaves when she first hatches her plan with the FIB. Naturally, although this was only supposed to be a one night thing it quickly spirals out of control and along the way Gia found herself actually opening up to people in a way she hadn’t done before, not even with her family who’s just as closed off as she is.

Although I thought Gia’s whole “fake boyfriend” ploy was juvenile and Gia should’ve just manned up from the beginning and been honest I also hated Jules and kind of wanted to see Gia beat her at her own game. As I continued reading though I realized I kind of hated all of Gia’s friends and felt she was better off without them. However, I did fall in love with FIB and his little sister, Bec. They, along with Gia, made this novel for me and I really liked the chemistry between Gia and FIB.

Like I said, this book was really cute and a quick read. I recommend it if you’re look for something with a happy ending, some teen angst, and a lot of fluff.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“My preference is simple—you.”

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Book Review: The Sun is Also a Star

Posted on November 15, 2016November 14, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

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Review

*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from First in Line and B-Fest. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it.*

Nicola Yoon knows how to make me feel all the feelings. At first I wasn’t sure I would like this novel because it’s written in an interesting way. Not only do we get the first person perspectives of Daniel and Natasha but we also get the history and future histories of other characters. We learn what’s to come for Daniel’s brother, Charlie, and Natasha’s father’s history of regret. Yoon not only gives us insight into almost every character that Daniel and Natasha come into contact with but she also gives us the history of African-American hair care, the meaning of fate and love, and many other things.

In the beginning I wasn’t a fan of these extra little side stories and histories and just wanted the Natasha and Daniel parts of the novel but then I ended up actually loving those sections that weren’t about Natasha and Daniel. I started worrying about Irene, the security guard, and Jeremy, the lawyer. I wanted to know how their stories would end and what their future histories would look like. Yoon made me become invested in characters that weren’t even main characters and that’s what’s truly remarkable about this book.

Yoon expertly weaves a love story that’s also an exposé on how our actions, whether they’re big or small, can affect the lives of the people around us. How one moment or one day can alter someone’s life forever. The Sun is Also a Star takes place within the span of a day but we see so much more than just what happens in this one day. We see what led to this one day in Natasha and Daniel’s lives and what comes after and it’s beautiful and heartbreaking to read. This novel deals with not only romance but immigration, racial tensions, a lot of science, and poetry.

If you’re looking for a love story that will make you swoon Natasha and Daniel definitely give you that but The Sun is Also a Star isn’t just a romance novel. It’s so much more than that. It’s a story about people, and how despite our differences we’re all connected in some way. Definitely give this book a read if you haven’t yet. It’s worth every penny.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Love always changes everything.”

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"This Girl" by Colleen Hoover Book Review

Book Review: This Girl

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

There are two sides to every love story. Now hear Will’s.

Colleen Hoover’s New York Times bestselling Slammed series has brought countless readers to their knees with a whirlwind of love, passion, and heartache. Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.

In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from his point of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammed series.

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Review

*Warning: There will be minimal spoilers about Point of Retreat in this review. Read at your own risk.*

I was nervous to read this book because I didn’t really like Point of Retreat but surprisingly I loved This Girl. It turns out a lot happened in Slammed that we (and Layken) didn’t know about it and it was interesting learning these new things. I really loved how Colleen Hoover wrote this novel. Unlike Losing Hope where she just started from the beginning of the events in Hopeless it was like we were learning about Will’s past with Layken.

We began with them in their hotel on their honeymoon and Layken is asking Will questions about their past and what he thought about all the things that happened between them. Then we got the answer to these questions in the form of little short stories, some of which we’d already heard from Layken but other’s that we’d never heard before. It was also nice getting to see Layken’s mom again and my heart was broken once again over Layken’s loss.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and thought it was the perfect ending to Layken and Will’s love story. I also really liked how the title played into the story as well. Still, I definitely skipped/skimmed the poetry as I did with the other two books in this series. I just wasn’t into it, especially the poems we already read in Slammed. Besides that though I thought this book was great and I recommend it.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Sometimes two people need to fall apart to realize how much they need to fall back together.”

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Book Review: Caught Up in Us

Posted on November 10, 2016November 9, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Borrow

Synopsis:

A second chance at first love… Five years ago, Kat Harper fell into a dizzying summer romance with her brother’s best friend Bryan. It was a mad, crazy love full of kisses all through the night — but he broke her heart and she had to move on. Five years later, Kat is finishing her graduate degree and building her business as a jewelry designer, when Bryan, head of his own successful company, walks back into her life. Bryan has been assigned to Kat as her new business mentor and the rules are clear. No hanky panky permitted. Kat can handle that because she’s totally over him… right? Except, he still makes her laugh, and he remembers all the things she likes. Not to mention that he’s even more handsome now than he was then. Then there’s the spark between them — the simply undeniable chemistry, and the tender ways he shows he still cares for her. Can they resist each other the second time around or will first love trump all?

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Review

Typically I love Lauren Blakely’s writing but this book just didn’t do it for me. The novel is told in the first person point of view and it’s Kat’s point of view. Unfortunately I didn’t like Kat. I found her to be annoying. However, I did like Bryan and the romance between him and Kat was swoonworthy so that made this book okay for me but I didn’t love it.

What drove me crazy was Kat’s attempt at trying to pretend she still didn’t have feelings for Bryan and the lengths she want to try to pretend those feelings weren’t there. On the one hand I tried to me empathetic. I know what it’s like to like someone and not want to but hearing Kat’s thoughts about it drove me crazy. Just get over it already! Or tell him how you really feel. Just do something! It was so frustrating.

Still, even though I didn’t love this novel it was a quick, romantic read. It took me only a day to get through and there were some very steamy scenes that were fun to read. Besides that though I wasn’t all that interested in this novel and won’t be reading the other books in this series.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“He was a movie kiss, he was the name above the title. He was the one you wanted the heroine to wind up with so badly that your heart ached for her when they weren’t together, then soared when they finally were.”

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Book Review: Queen of Shadows

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire-for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

Purchase From:

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Review

*Warning: There will be spoilers about Heir of Fire in this review. Read at your own risk.*

Queen of Shadows is my favorite book in this series so far. I haven’t read The Assassin’s Blade but I feel confident in saying Queen of Shadows is my absolute favorite. Everything about it was great. There was a lot of action, drama, romance, and there were a lot of twists and secrets revealed. The novel began with Aelin back in Rifthold to start making moves to take back her kingdom and ultimately save the world from the dark clutches of the King of Adarlan. Unfortunately a lot had changed since Aelin was last in Rifthold.

Dorian was under the control of a Valg prince do to the nice little choker his father put on him after Chaol escaped from the castle. Aedion, Aelin’s cousin, was imprisoned in the castle awaiting his execution and people kept disappearing in Rifthold while the rebels in the city tried to save them all. Not to mention the fact that Aelin also needed to pay the Assassin King a visit because he had one of the Wyrdkeys. Needless to say Aelin had a lot of work to do in this novel and as per usual she handled it with a high degree of sass and swagger. Her plans continued to surprise me (and the other characters in this novel) and I never knew what to expect, which made this novel so fun to read.

It was heartbreaking to read the chapters about Dorian and his enslavement. I wanted to cry every time we had one of those chapters but I pushed through. This novel also contained some new characters that I fell in love with, mainly Lysandra and Nesyrn. I love all the bad ass women we get in this series and these two were an amazing addition to the growing cast of characters in these novels. We also learned more about Manon and the witches in this novel but honestly I didn’t really care all that much about them. Although I do love Manon’s wyern, Abraxos. He’s the best.

Like I said I absolutely loved this novel and I think you should buy it immediately if you haven’t already. It’s worth every penny and I’ve already reread it because I have no self-control. Sorry not sorry.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“You make me want to live, Rowan. Not survive; not exist. Live.”

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Book Review: Heir of Fire

Posted on November 3, 2016November 3, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis:

Celaena has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak-but at an unspeakable cost. Now, she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth . . . a truth about her heritage that could change her life-and her future-forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. Will Celaena find the strength to not only fight her inner demons, but to take on the evil that is about to be unleashed?

Purchase From:

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Review

*Warning: There will be spoilers about Crown of Midnight in this review. Read at your own risk.*

I was so excited to finally get to Heir of Fire because there were some characters I desperately needed to meet including Rowan, who I didn’t like as much as I thought I would. At least not at first. He has since grown on me and I love him now but I had to get used to him and how he interacted with Celaena. It was pretty harsh but I’m getting ahead of myself here.

Heir of Fire begins with Celaena now in Wendlyn where Chaol sent her thinking he was protecting her, which he kind of was but little did he know she’s also Aelin, the Queen of Terrasen, and kind of his enemy. Oops. Regardless, Chaol doesn’t really regret his decision but Celaena doesn’t exactly know what she’s doing. We find her in a pretty bad state when the novel begins, which is kind of understandable since she went through a lot of crap in Crown in Midnight. Enter Rowan and Maeve.

Maeve is kind of Celaena’s aunt (it’s complicated) and a goddess who wants to unleash Celaena’s power. Though Celaena would prefer not to she knows she has to do something if she’s ever going to fulfill her promise to Nehemia. So off Celaena goes to learn about her powers and how to shift into her Fae form from the formidable Fae prince, Rowan. As you may imagine their relationship doesn’t start on the best foot but just as Rowan grew on me they grow on each other.

Meanwhile, Chaol and Dorian are adjusting to life in the castle without Celaena, especially now that her cousin, Aedion, has arrived. Chaol is desperate to keep Celaena’s secret causing a rift between him and Dorian that only gets deeper when Chaol becomes interested in the rebel cause. Thankfully Dorian is able to make a new friend that helps keep him (and his magic) in check.

I really loved this novel and getting to see what was happening to Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian. I really fell in love with Dorian in this book. I liked him before but this book really made me feel for Dorian and everything he has to go through. It was great getting to meet new characters as well, especially the demi-Fae Celaena comes into contact with. There wasn’t too much romance in this novel, especially compared to the other books in this series, but there was enough to be satisfied if you’re looking for that type of thing. This book was more about action scenes, magic, and dark twists.

I’m pretty sure I actually cried by the end of this novel because it tore me apart, which is saying something because Crown of Midnight was pretty heartbreaking but I didn’t cry when I read it. I say this all to say read it at your own risk. But seriously, read this book. It’s fantastic.

I’m almost done with the Throne of Glass series so if you don’t like this series sorry but I’ve got three more reviews coming your way. And then I’m done I swear.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.”

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Book Review: Crown of Midnight

Posted on November 1, 2016October 31, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis:

She is the greatest assassin her world has ever known.
But where will her conscience, and her heart, lead her?

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king’s contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.Keeping up the deadly charade-while pretending to do the king’s bidding-will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she’s given a task that could jeopardize everything she’s come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon — forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice. Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she willing to fight for?

Purchase From:

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Review

*Warning: There will be spoilers about Throne of Glass in this review. Read at your own risk.*

I’m speeding through this series and I’m loving it. I literally cannot put these books down; I’m hooked. Crown of Midnight begins a bit after Throne of Glass. Now that Celaena is the King’s Champion she’s being sent all over to kill rebels for him, which is particularly difficult for Celaena because she hates the King with a passion. Still, the King has warned her if she disobeys his order he’ll kill Chaol and Nehemia and Nehemia’s family so Celaena has no choice but to be obedient. Or at least to pretend to be.

At the same time, now that her relationship with Dorian is over Celaena has moved on and she and Chaol begin to really acknowledge their feelings for each other, which puts a strain on Dorian and Chaol’s friendship. The romance between Celaena and Chaol gave me all the feels and I can see why people love Chaol now. Despite the romance though, this book got pretty dark and I was surprised by it. This book was the first sign that Sarah J. Maas doesn’t pull punches and I felt like I got hit right in the gut multiple times throughout this book. What really got me though was the ending.

Although I knew the twist at the end beforehand I loved how it all played out and the big reveal. It was the perfect conclusion to this book and I’m so glad the next book is already out because I can’t even imagine what that must’ve felt like if you had to wait a year to read the next one.

I’ll be posting my review of Heir of Fire on Thursday since I already finished it. Like I said, I can’t put these books down. I don’t think you need me to tell you to buy these books but just in case here’s me telling you to buy these books ASAP. You won’t regret it.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“The kiss obliterated her. It was like coming home or being born or suddenly finding an entire half of herself that had been missing.”

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Book Review: Throne of Glass

Posted on October 24, 2016October 27, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass–and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Purchase From:

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Review

After reading A Court of Thorns and Roses everyone told me I had to read Throne of Glass. Well after waiting for the latest book to come out I’ve decided to binge read the whole series and I’m loving it so far. I just made it to book three and I’m so hooked. For now though I’m just going to discuss the first novel, which was a great start to the series.

The novel follows Celaena, an assassin that was enslaved after being betrayed. Now she’s made a deal with the Crown Prince, Dorian. In exchange for her freedom she will compete to become the King’s Champion and if she succeeds she will work for the King for a few years and then finally be really free. Of course nothing comes easy and living in the castle along with the nobility and the other criminals and warriors competing for the Champion title is difficult for Celaena. Especially when Dorian sees her as more than just his Champion and her friendship with the Captain of the Guard, Chaol, is so tumultuous it’s difficult to tell how he actually feels about her. Worse than anything, though, is the mysterious secrets the castle holds and the evil that’s lurking around every corner. Celaena will have to keep her guard up at all times to face off against threats but to also keep her own secrets.

Like I said I’m totally hooked. I couldn’t put this book down. There was romance, hilarity, mystery, and adventure. I absolutely love Chaol and he’s definitely my favorite but I also really liked Dorian and Nehemia, who befriends Celaena. This book made me laugh a lot but also made me swoon and a little concerned for my favorites. I was on the edge of my seat throughout this book and never knew what would happen next.

I’m excited to continue this series and see where it goes from here. I know I’m in for a lot of despair and crying but thankfully I’ve been warned enough that I feel emotionally prepared. At least I hope so. The point is you should really read this series if you haven’t already. As my friend once said, it’s never too late to join the bandwagon. So hop on my friends! It’ll be a wild ride.

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